Eight trailblazing leaders who are breaking barriers in marketing, advertising and media
Marcom Weekly features marketing, media and advertising industry leaders, this Women's History Month
In a world where marketing, advertising, and media play a significant role in shaping our perceptions of the world around us, it is imperative that the voices of diverse communities are heard and represented accurately. In honor of Women's History Month, we shine a spotlight on eight trailblazing leaders who are breaking barriers and paving the way for diversity and inclusion in these industries.
Adrianne C. Smith -- senior vice president, senior partner and chief diversity and inclusion officer at FleishmanHillard, and founder of the Cannes Can: Diversity Collective -- is a creative, entrepreneur, senior executive, and thought leader whose career spans 20 plus years in advertising, media, and professional development. Smith has created and produced documentaries, and television programs, and participated in the launch team for a digital sub-television network. Her advocacy work includes founding Vision Corpos Media Group, a media company that creates new content for current and emerging media outlets. In 2019, she made history by creating the first standalone Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Beach in the festival’s 66 years of existence. Smith was previously WPP's first global director of inclusion and diversity.
Bozoma Saint John, the author of "The Urgent Life" and former chief marketing officer (CMO) at Netflix, is AMA New York Hall of Fame recipient and marketing executive with almost 20 years of experience that spans multiple industries including digital music/entertainment, consumer packaged goods, fashion, sports, and automotive. Saint John has been recognized for her breakthrough work by both the industry and her peers, having been inducted into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Achievement. She has been featured in Fortune Magazine’s Disruptors, Innovators & Stars 40 Under 40 feature, Billboard’s Top Executives 40 Under 40 and Power 100 lists, and Black Enterprise’s Most Powerful Women in Business.
Deborah Rentería, the executive director of inclusive creative and marketing strategy for Lionsgate and co-founder of La Nueva Link, is a U.S.-born Mexican with 10 years of experience in the entertainment industry. At HBO, Rentería focused on creating experiences that organically engage with diverse audiences and elevate top-priority programming and initiatives. She led the strategy behind marketing campaigns for productions and projects such as Game of Thrones, Ballers, and Lovecraft Country. In 2020, she launched La Nueva Link, a community for creatives and media professionals to foster visibility and understanding of U.S. Latinx micro-communities through a network that engages and empowers non-white storytellers digitally and in real life.
Laila Alhusini, an award-winning American journalist, radio host, and content creator, is the founder of U.S. Arab Radio, a national radio program that reaches more than three million affluent Arab Americans in the United States and Canada. U.S. Arab Media, of which she is the CEO, is both the parent company of U.S. Arab Radio and an online news outlet covering top stories of importance to Arab Americans. Alhusini continues to interview national and international guests, with a mandate to unify Arab and American communities and their diverse audiences. She has more than 15 years of experience in print and broadcast journalism and contributed to the business news service Zawya, a Thomson Reuters Company, focused on the Middle East.
Lizette Williams, the global head of vertical solutions marketing for Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is a New Yorker and self-proclaimed proud Afro-Latina. Williams has worked in major marketing roles at McDonald’s, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, and PepsiCo., where she focused on driving consumer-centric growth strategies based on cultural relevance. Currently, she leads a global marketing team at Meta, tasked with developing the business marketing strategy and approach across seven industries. Williams has been listed as one of Crain’s Chicago Business “40 under 40,” Advertising Age “Women to Watch,” and Black Enterprise “Top Women Executives in Advertising and Marketing.”
May Habib, the CEO and co-founder of Writer (formerly known as Qordoba), an AI writing assistant company, helps businesses all around the world write content that’s more clear, consistent, and on-brand. Her company was named to the Forbes’ Cloud 100 Rising Stars for its AI-powered content guidelines that help organizations like Marriott and Braintree align all types of content — from communications to marketing to product to HR. In addition to this, Writer’s significant growth also led the company to twice earn a spot on the Arabia Growth 500 list. Habib serves on the board of Techwadi, an organization that bridges Silicon Valley with the Middle East’s tech community and is the alumni secretary of her undergraduate class at Harvard.
Nikole Hannah-Jones, Howard University's Knight Chair in Race and Journalism and a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, covers racial injustice and conceived and directed The 1619 Project, a special ground-breaking issue tracing the central role Black Americans played in the success of U.S. industry and democracy. The project earned Hannah-Jones a Pulitzer Prize, much critical acclaim and the subject of a new Hulu docuseries of the same name. Jones has previously reported on educational and race inequities for The News & Observer and The Oregonian before becoming an investigative reporter at ProPublica. Hannah-Jones is also co-founder of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting.
Stacie de Armas, the senior vice president for DEI, diverse insights, intelligence, and initiatives at Nielsen, is a U.S.-born Cuban with over two decades of experience in multicultural marketing. Since joining Nielsen in 1998, de Armas has held many roles related to diverse audiences and consumer behavior, making her a subject matter expert in identity research and audience diversity. She is also a board member of the Hispanic Marketing Council, RespectAbility, and Google’s 21st Century Multicultural Marketing Council. De Armas has received industry honors for her work in diversity marketing, including being named one of Latina Style Magazine’s Top Latina Executives and one of Imagen Foundation’s Most Powerful and Influential Latinos in Entertainment.
These eight women are an inspiration to many and serve as a reminder that diversity and inclusion are essential in marketing, advertising, and media. They have broken barriers and paved the way for more diverse voices and perspectives in their industries, setting a standard for future generations. As we celebrate Women's History Month, let us continue to acknowledge and recognize the contributions of these incredible women and their unwavering commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion.